Musharraf sets vote under emergency rule

Balloting to be held without constitution

November 12, 2007|By Kim Barker, Tribune foreign correspondent

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Pervez Musharraf announced Sunday that parliamentary elections would be held in early January, but he indicated that they would be conducted under emergency rule and a suspended constitution, raising questions about their legitimacy.

At his first major news conference in months, Musharraf attempted to justify his declaration of a state of emergency eight days earlier, an action that plunged the nuclear-armed country into more turmoil. He gave no date for ending the emergency, which he called the most difficult decision he has made in his life.

"I have no personal ego and ambitions to guard," he said. "I have the national interest foremost."

Musharraf's news conference came a day after he amended a law to give military courts sweeping powers to try civilians for speaking poorly about him or the army.

Musharraf blamed the emergency on a combative judiciary and Islamic militants. But since Nov. 3, his government has focused its resources on arresting thousands of lawyers, political opponents and rights activists and on cracking down on the judiciary and the media.

Musharraf also said he would step down as army chief before being sworn in for another presidential term, as soon as the Supreme Court rules on a case challenging whether he was eligible to win election last month. Because he sacked most judges who would not sign a new oath to him, it's likely the new court will soon rule in his favor.

"I shall take [the] oath of office as civilian president of Pakistan," said Musharraf, dressed in a navy blue suit and tie instead of his army uniform. "And I hope that happens as soon as possible."

His two announcements -- that elections would be held before Jan. 9 and that he would step down as army chief -- may soften the criticism from Western leaders, who have urged Musharraf to restore the constitution, hold elections before Jan. 15 as scheduled and quit his army post.

Musharraf also addressed a major concern in the West by saying that the state of emergency would allow him to send in the army to tackle militants whenever and wherever he wanted, as opposed to having to get the permission of local governments in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas.

Western critics

In the past week, Musharraf has faced growing criticism of the emergency from the U.S., especially from Democratic lawmakers, and increased scrutiny of Western military and humanitarian aid. The Dutch government has suspended aid; Britain and the U.S. have said they are reviewing their spending, although military money most likely will not be suspended because it is seen as important to the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

On Sunday in an interview with ABC, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed Musharraf's vow to hold elections in early January but called for the state of emergency to be lifted. She said the planned election and Musharraf's latest pledge to quit as army chief were a "positive element."

Human Rights Watch referred to Musharraf's plans as "a cynical sop to the international community meant to deflect attention from his ongoing power grab."

Despite a statement Saturday by the country's attorney general that the emergency would last only a month, Musharraf refused to give a time limit. He said the emergency would ensure fair and transparent parliamentary elections, and he invited foreign observers "to come and see the fairness" of the elections.

It was not clear whether opposition parties would participate in the election. The Pakistan People's Party, the largest opposition party, deferred commenting on Musharraf's speech. Leader Benazir Bhutto, who until recently had been negotiating a power-sharing deal with Musharraf, flew to Lahore on Sunday to prepare for an opposition march Tuesday.

Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the second major opposition party, said his party would not participate in elections held in an emergency or under the new judiciary.

"One man is pitched up against the whole nation just to keep himself in power at all cost," Iqbal said.

During Musharraf's news conference, he lectured journalists and challenged their questions. Twice he said he was stuck between "a rock and a hard surface."

His logic occasionally seemed contradictory, such as when he said he had followed the constitution every step of the way -- despite suspending the constitution Nov. 3. He said emergency rule was the only way to restore democracy.

He said Sunday that the judges who had refused to sign a new oath to him would not get their jobs back.

"There is no question," Musharraf said. "Those who have not taken the oath are gone. They are no more judges."

The address was his first major news conference since he tried to fire Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in March, sparking the political crisis that still threatens to bring him down.